Competitor Ranks of the Silph League Arena

I've written about the Silph League Arena (SLA) every so often, as the online community competitive adjunct for Pokémon Go, and at times there can be something to discuss about it. At this time, I've found that its competitor ranking system is quite fascinating and relevant in some ways. It is indeed important, as it is how all the competitors become compared to one another in their proficiency in the various tournaments that various communities organize as part of that major competition.

The system is rather simple. As the competitors - Trainers - win rounds and battles, they progress through the ranks and come out higher than other Trainers. Yet this can also work in the opposite way: if they don't win, it may be possible for them to move down in rank, particularly if they're on or near the border between ranks. The number of competitors also factor into the ranking quite a bit; more Trainers that are involved in a single tournament make it more likely for a Trainer to advance greatly through the rank progressions - something that I can attest when I participated in the big national tournament over a year ago. Apart from that, the system presents itself very well.

The most common ranks of Trainers in this system are the lowest three ranks: Trainer, Rival, and Challenger. Everyone obviously starts at the Trainer rank, and after some successful tournaments, they can move up to the Rival and Challenger ranks. In the season that ends this year, I was only at the Rival rank since I didn't participate in many tournaments, let alone become successful in them. In the year before, which involved the national tournament as above, I progressed to the Challenger rank - and perhaps, if it weren't for that tournament, I would still be stuck as a Rival. In any case, I'm still just a low-to-middle rank competitor, and others are much better than me and possess higher ranks.

Those higher ranks would be Ace, Elite, and Legend. A Trainer would have to be significantly good at battling, even winning many tournaments, in order to achieve these higher ranks. A select few of my Pokémon Go fellows have achieved the Ace rank, while the top national Trainers (who they might just be in contact with) are of the Elite rank, and the top of the very top Trainers in the world are of the Legend rank. Unless I get better somehow, I don't have much hope of reaching these lofty ranks, and it especially wouldn't be possible with this year's season ending soon and a new one about to start soon after, where everyone starts anew. This is yet another important point.

The SLA is a big competition, as it involves all Trainers all around the world. But for such a large competition, its ranking system is remarkably simple, save for the effort that is required to advance. Considering all that occurs in the tournaments and competitions, that simplicity seems to set its competitors or Trainers free. They become free to compete in and do whatever it takes to come out on top, which could be a lot of effort. The effort is still rewarding for Trainers of Pokémon Go like me who want to say and prove they are the best.

One year ago: Personal Branding

Two years ago: To Judge and Be Judged

Three years ago: Catering to Old and New Players